The Child Emperor

Zuo Ji looked at the Emperor with a faint smile. He was full of confidence that the Emperor would surely submit. He did not wish to take any further measures, so he just looked at the Emperor, like he was persuading an ignorant child to finish his rice and not waste food.

Having been a puppet in the palace for more than two months, what Han Ruzi felt the most deeply was his solitude and unimportance. But at this moment, he felt humiliated. This was something to be expected. The reason it took a while was only because it was not the Empress Dowager’s most urgent matter.

There were no officials around; there were even no other eunuchs around. The final veil clothing the Emperor with authority was stripped, revealing the sham and helplessness underneath.

Han Ruzi felt an upsurge of emotion, but he kept it within himself. He even did not forget to continue practicing breathing against the flow. He maintained silence and patiently tasted the bitterness he felt. He sought for every possible means of self preservation, finally realizing that the only “weapon” he had was Zuo Ji himself.

“Lord Zuo, are you to personally teach Us the way of husband-wife relations?”

Zuo Ji’s smile disappeared slightly. “Of course it would not be me. The way of husband-wife relations is not a difficult subject. Your Majesty need not worry and may just go with what’s natural. The Empress Dowager has painstakingly selected three beautiful…”

“Three?” Han Ruzi’s sense of humiliation grew deeper.

Zuo Ji did not stop and continued speaking. “The fortune tellers and doctors have examined them. These three are gentle at heart and full in body. They will surely be able to bear a son. Once Your Majesty has an heir, the Chu Empire would be at ease.”

“So would you and the Empress Dowager.”

The last remnants of a smile finally disappeared from Zuo Ji’s face. “There is no point in further discussion. May Your Majesty prepare for bed and enjoy yourself to the fullest. Once Your Majesty has had a taste tonight, you would probably find three women to be too few. May Your Majesty rest easy, the Imperial Recorder and I shall stand on guard outside to record tonight’s events. It shall remain as proof in the future.”

Han Ruzi did not fully understand what the eunuch meant, but a sense of detest grew in his heart. He moved forward two steps and said, “How old are you, Lord Zuo? Probably not more than thirty.”

Zuo Ji was slightly taken aback. “Twenty five.”

“Were you castrated since young?”

“Why is Your Majesty asking this?” Zuo Ji’s face turned sour.

“We have heard that eunuchs are unable to have husband-wife relations. Since Lord Zuo speaks of it so highly, We wonder whether you speak from experience or just hearsay.”

Zuo Ji’s face reddened as he stepped forward, coming close to the Emperor’s face. “Is Your Majesty making fun of me.”

Zuo Ji could not keep his emotions in check and was provoked easily. Han Ruzi intended to use this weakness of his. As for the consequences, they were not something which Han Ruzi could foresee. Nor did he want to overthink it. In any event, he would rather cause a huge ruckus than to surrender without a fight.

“How would We dare? We still rely on Lord Zuo to take care of Us. Just that We are young and cannot help but be nervous, hence We wish to clarify matters.”

Zuo Ji was confused. He could not tell if the Emperor’s questions were genuine or not. His expression warmed a little and he said, “I was castrated at the age of sixteen. But these are matters which I have heard of, even if I have not experienced them. Your Majesty need not worry, I shall call the servant-girls in.”

“Hold on.” Han Ruzi was figuring out how to make Zuo Ji lose his temper immediately. “One more thing, just one last thing.”

“Please go ahead, Your Majesty.”

“The wound on the Empress Dowager’s hand… was it caused by you?” Han Ruzi could not think of anything else, so he threw this sentence out there without further thought.

Its effect was immediate. The expression on Zuo Ji’s face changed sharply. He said menacingly, “How do you know… Who told you…”

Zuo Ji turned around and ran out in a panic. He nearly tripped at the door.

The room returned to silence. Han Ruzi sat on the side of his bed. He felt like he had gotten himself into trouble, but it was inevitable. The Empress Dowager had never viewed him as a true Emperor. Once she had a new puppet, he would be abandoned. Instead of waiting for his demise, he would rather put up a fight.

But he was still rather frightened. His heart surged with emotions and he forgot to breathe against the flow. He thought of his mother whom he had not seen for so long. He thought of Yang Feng far away. He even thought of the mysterious Meng E… He was in desperate need for help.

A silhouette came before him, and quietly stood by the bedside.

Han Ruzi looked up and looked towards the young eunuch, Zhang Youcai. “Did Zuo Ji ask you to come?”

Zhang Youcai shook his head in confusion. “This servant is here to attend to Your Majesty.”

Han Ruzi forced a chuckle. “You should not have come. You would get into trouble.”

“I am not afraid. Since I have been sent to attend to Your Majesty, I will do my best.”

Was this yet another loyal subject like Liu Jie, or a spy with ulterior motives? Han Ruzi was too tired to think things through. “Go… ask the Grand Consort to come.”

Han Ruzi had said it casually but Zhang Youcai treated it as a genuine Imperial order. He acknowledged the order and left.

The young eunuch would probably be unable to even get an audience with the Grand Consort. Han Ruzi did not know what would be the point in seeking out the Grand Consort. She was the Empress Dowager’s younger sister — in cahoots with the Empress Dowager and even more difficult to handle than Zuo Ji.

But he did not retract his order and decided to employ every measure at his disposal. As matters stood, he was no longer fighting over whether to have husband-wife relations or to have an heir. He was fighting to hold on to his bottom-line.

The chiming of jade pendants sounded. Grand Consort Shang-guan actually came.

Two servant-girls escorted the Grand Consort to the couch before withdrawing. Zhang Youcai did not appear.

“Why does Your Majesty appear so glum?” the Grand Consort asked.

The two of them were separated by quite some distance. In the room dimly lit by candles, the Grand Consort bore an even greater resemblance to the Empress Dowager.

“Why did I have to be chosen to be Emperor?”

“Your Majesty should know the reason.”

“Because my mother has no backers — no powerbase. Hence I would be easier to control?”

“That is partly the reason.” The Grand Consort paused. “Regardless of what others say, the Empress Dowager chose Your Majesty for the good of the Chu Empire. The Cui clan is already powerful in the Imperial Court. If they have an Emperor, then the Han Imperial clan would be in danger. The Graceful Emperor had intended to get rid of the Cui clan, but unfortunately there were other matters for him to deal with. The Thoughtful Emperor inherited his father’s will — he had already formulated a plan, but… Hence, the heavy burden fell on the Empress Dowager. She had no choice but to employ some measures and come to a compromise with the Cui clan. This is all in preparation for the future.”

“If the Empress Dowager’s target is the Cui clan, why… why be in such a hurry for me to have relations and bear an heir?”

The Grand Consort smiled lightly before turning serious. “As long as Your Majesty is without an heir, Prince Donghai would have a legitimate claim to the throne and the Cui clan’s ambitions would never disappear. Your Majesty is probably worried about your personal safety. Rest assured: once you have an heir, your position would only be more secure.”

The Grand Consort was more persuasive than Zuo Ji, but Han Ruzi still felt like something was wrong. He remained silent.

“Nevertheless, it is true that the Empress Dowager was in too much of a hurry. Your Majesty is still young… how can such things be forced? I shall speak to the Empress Dowager and try to convince her not to be in such a hurry. We have a long time ahead — with Prince Donghai kept in the palace, the Cui clan would not dare act out of order. The Cui clan can be dealt with when Your Majesty is old enough to reign personally.”

The matter was actually resolved. Apart from relief, Han Ruzi was also confused. Could it be that he had misunderstood the Empress Dowager and the Grand Consort? Had Yang Feng overstated matters?

“You all would not force me again…”

“The Empress Dowager is understanding, so she will surely listen to my appeal. The servant-girls may stay, but they will not act indecorously towards Your Majesty.” The Grand Consort smiled, evidently also finding such matters rather ridiculous.

Han Ruzi was finally relieved. “I asked Zuo Ji about the wound on the Empress Dowager’s hand. I might have offended the Empress Dowager.”

“Your Majesty would not offend anyone, nor would the Empress Dowager be so easily offended.” The Grand Consort rose and prepared to leave. “Continue to work hard, Your Majesty, and you shall reign personally one day.”

Han Ruzi did not know what to say. “Thank you…”

The Grand Consort smiled. “Your Majesty need not thank me. Everything the Empress Dowager does is for the good of the Chu Empire. This empire would be entrusted to Your Majesty one day.”

The Grand Consort left, leaving Han Ruzi alone and lost. This predicament seemed to have been resolved too easily. If that was the case, why did the Empress Dowager send Zuo Ji earlier?

Zhang Youcai and Dong Qing E entered to attend to the Emperor. The night passed peacefully.

Han Ruzi felt asleep rather late. He dreamt many strange dreams. When he woke in the morning, he felt muddy-headed. But he suddenly had a realization: the Grand Consort had answered many of his questions, but had glossed over the question regarding the wound on the Empress Dowager’s hand — no, she had ignored it entirely.

That morning, in the Hall of Diligent Administration, Han Ruzi understood why the Empress Dowager and the Grand Consort was willing to compromise with him.

The war in Guan-dong was still on-going. The court’s main efforts were used in matters relating to the war. But there were some who were unaffected by the war and continued to perform their roles diligently and meticulously, keeping an eye on the smallest detail.

Chancellor Yin Wuhai had deliberately waited for the Emperor to arrive before presenting a petition. He sighed and ordered that the petition be brought to the Empress Dowager in the side-room. He said to his colleagues, “That is the ninth petition. Members of the Ministry of Rites and Decorum, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Imperial University, the Directorate of Education, have all submitted petitions. Now, so has the Censorate.”

“What does the Censorate have to do with the matter at hand? Who is so bold — he should be impeached for overstepping the bounds of his position,” an official said.

Yin Wuhai shook his head. “There are many fanatics in the Censorate. Impeach one, and ten will rise. We should act with caution.”

Han Ruzi sat quietly like an ornament, as usual. He did not really understand what the senior officials were talking about. Soon, Grand Consort Shang-guan appeared from the side-chamber and spoke on behalf of the Empress Dowager, clearing the Emperor’s doubts.

“It is just a matter of retaining the previous Emperor’s era name. Why is there so much opposition from the officials?” The Grand Consort shook the petition in her hand. “According to this petition, if the era name is unchanged, there would be an imbalance of Yin and Yang, vacillation from top to bottom — a greater threat to the Empire than Prince Qi’s rebellion.”

The few senior officials in attendance looked to the Chancellor.

Yin Wuhai had no choice but to step forward and say, “Subjects do not dare casually change the rules laid down by the ancestors. New Emperor, new era name — that has always been the case. The old era name can be used for one more year at most — any longer would be inappropriate. If this rule is changed today, then other rules may be changed in the future. The foundations of the Imperial Court…”

The Grand Consort shook her head. “There are so many rules, what is the fuss over changing a few? Could it be that the Martial Emperor and the Graceful Emperor never changed any rules? I shall not argue with you — the era name is the Emperor’s, let His Majesty decide for himself.”

Yin Wuhai’s face revealed an obvious expression of shock. Raising the matter of the era name before the Emperor had been his ploy. He did not expect the Grand Consort take the initiating in letting the Emperor decide.

Han Ruzi was not shocked at all. He finally understood why the Empress Dowager had let him off the hook. The only thing he did not understand was: was it so important whether the era named was changed or unchanged? So important that the Empress Dowager and the senior officials would come into conflict?”

Nevertheless, he knew that his answer was important. Important enough to cut a deal.